Chapter C: COTTON. TIB. A. iv, British Museum. Contains, ff. 2-152 v^o, Vox

Clamantis_, ff. 153-167 r^o, ‘Explicit libellus’ &c. and _Cronica Tripertita_, f. 167, ‘Rex celi deus,’ ‘H. aquile pullus,’ ‘O recolende bone,’ ff. 168-172, _Carmen super multiplici Viciorum Pestilencia_, ff. 172 v^o-174, _Tractatus de Lucis Scrutinio_, ff. 174 v^o, 175, ‘Quia vnusquisque,’ ‘Eneidos Bucolis,’ ‘Orate pro anima,’ ‘O deus immense,’ ff. 176, 177, ‘Henrici regis,’ ‘Vnanimes esse,’ ‘Presul, ouile regis,’ ‘Cultor in ecclesia,’ ‘Dicunt scripture.’ Ends on 177 r^o. Parchment, ff. 178, that is, 176 leaves of original text, preceded by two blanks, on the second of which is Sir Robert Cotton’s Table of Contents, ending ‘Liber vt videtur ipsius autoris,’ the first leaf of the text being now numbered f. 2. In quires of eight with catchwords, signed _a_, _b_, _c_, &c. from f. 10 (where the text of the _Vox Clamantis_ begins) the first quire, containing the chapter-headings &c., written in a hand different from that of the main part of the text. Leaves measure about 10 x 6½ in. Written in single column, 38 lines to the page in the _Vox Clamantis_, 40 or more in the _Cronica Tripertita_. The MS. has been carefully corrected, and revised passages appear written over erasure as in SGH. Capitals coloured and gilded at the beginning of the books, coloured blue and red at the beginning of chapters and paragraphs. On f. 9, the last of the first quire, a picture like that in the Glasgow MS., of the author shooting at the world, as shown in the frontispiece of this volume.

On f. 2 is written ‘Roberti Cotton liber ex dono doctissimi Patricii Youngi generosi.’ The book suffered somewhat in the fire of 1731, but it has been carefully and skilfully repaired, and though the writing at the top of each page shows traces of the heat, no part of it is illegible. The effect produced is clearly visible on the page of which a facsimile is given.

The text of C is a very good one and unquestionably independent.
In regard to spelling it may be observed that the copyist of the
_Vox Clamantis_ frequently gives ‘u’ for ‘v’ at the beginning
of words, he writes ‘sed’ almost always for ‘set,’ and often
‘ti’ for ‘ci’ in words like ‘etiam,’ ‘ratio,’ ‘patiens’ and even
‘fatie’ (ii. 57), but also ‘eciam,’ ‘ambicio,’ ‘precium,’ &c.

The following are the hands, so far as they can be distinguished:

(1) Text of the _Vox Clamantis_, a small and somewhat irregular
but clear hand, of the fourteenth century.

(2) The eight leaves preceding this (containing the
chapter-headings), and also ff. 96, 97 and part of 140. This hand
has made corrections throughout, not revising the text, as the
author might, but setting right the mistakes of the scribe.

The (3) following passages as rewritten over erasure: i. 1019
ff., vi. 545-554, and also the prose heading of the first part
of the _Cronica Tripertita_. This is the ‘second hand’ of the
Fairfax MS., the same as S (2), G (2), H (3).

(4) The passage rewritten over erasure in iii. 1 ff., also the
heading of iii, cap. iv., corrections in iv. 1198 ff., and iv.
1221*-1232* rewritten over erasure. This is a neat round hand
used also in the same places of the Harleian MS.

(5) The passage ‘Rex puer,’ &c., vi. 555-580, and vi. cap.
xviii, with the heading of cap. xix., over erasure, a hand which
resembles (3), but does not seem to be identical with it.

(6) The marginal note at iii. 375 and perhaps also iv. 587, and
the marginal note at the end of the _Cronica Tripertita_; also f.
176 ‘Nota hic in fine--intendo,’ and the lines ‘Henrici regis,’
&c. This is the same as S (4), G (4), H (6).

(7) Corrections in vi. 1208, 1210: the same as H (7), and the
correction of vi. 1210 in S.

(8) Corrections in vi. 1219 ff., and vii. 187 ff.

(9) Text of _Cronica Tripertita_ and the succeeding pieces to f.
168: a rather rough and irregular hand in faded ink.

(10) Marginal notes of _Cronica Tripertita_ and text of _Carmen
super multiplici_ &c. from f. 169, ‘Ad fidei dampnum’ to the end
of ‘O deus immense,’ f. 176.

(11) The four smaller poems at the end (possibly with the
exception of ‘Cultor in ecclesia’). The same as H (9).

(12) The lines at the beginning and near the end of the _Cronica
Tripertita_ (over erasure).

Some other corrections are doubtful, as the concluding lines of
the _Vox Clamantis_.

H. HARLEIAN 6291, British Museum. Contains the same as C, except where deficient from loss of leaves, with the addition of a second copy of the last three poems. Parchment ff. 164, measuring 9 x 6 in., in quires of eight with catchwords, 37 lines to the page, regularly and neatly written. No decoration except coloured initials. Has lost probably two whole quires, 16 leaves, at the beginning, and begins with _Vox Clamantis_, i. 502. The first existing quire is lettered ‘b,’ and this is also the lettering of the third quire of the Cotton MS., the first, which has the Table of Chapters, not being counted in the lettering. In addition to these, one leaf is lost after f. 1 (containing _Vox Clamantis_, i. 571-644), two after f. 58 (iii. 1716-1854), one after f. 108 (vi. 951-1021), one after f. 133 (vii. 1399-1466). This last leaf formed part of a quire of 12, which followed f. 124, at the end of the _Vox Clamantis_. Of these the last three have been cut away, but only one leaf of text is lost, f. 134 continuing at 1467, and the concluding lines of the _Vox Clamantis_ being here given in the hand which copied the _Cronica Tripertita_, &c. The last quire of that book, ff. 158-164 (one leaf lost at the end), has several blanks (162, 163, 164 v^o).

In a good many instances passages of from two to six lines are omitted in the text and inserted in the margin, either across or at the bottom of the page, in a hand which seems not to be that of the text, though very similar, and is probably identical with S (1). This occurs on ff. 41, 74, 76, 78, &c.

The text of H is very correct, and in forms of spelling, &c.
it closely resembles that of S. There is little punctuation at
first, but more afterwards. In form of text it agrees nearly
with C, but (1) the marginal note at iv. 587 is omitted, (2) as
regards revision H parts company with C at vi. 1219, from which
point H has the unrevised text in agreement with EDTH₂ except in
the concluding lines of the _Vox Clamantis_ on f. 134, which, as
already remarked, are rewritten in a new hand.

The hands of H may be thus distinguished:

(1) Text of the _Vox Clamantis_, a good and regular
fourteenth-century hand.

(2) Passages added in the margin, probably the same as S (1).

(3) Rewritten text of i. 1019 ff., vi. 545-580, vi. cap. xviii
and heading of xix, last lines of _Vox Clamantis_, text of
_Cronica Tripertita_ and succeeding pieces to the end of ‘O deus
immense’ f. 159 v^o. This is the same as S (2), G (2), C (3).

(4) Rewritten text of iii. 1 ff., corrections of iv. 1212, 1214,
and rewritten text of 1221*-1232*; also f. 160, ‘Nota hic in
fine’ &c. to end of f. 161 r^o. This is the same as C (4).

(5) Correction of the heading of iii. cap. iv, the same as S (3).

(6) Marginal note at iii. 375, the same as S (4), G (4), C (6).

(7) Corrections of vi. 1208, 1210, and of _Cronica Tripertita_ i.
55 f. and some other places: the same as C (7).

(8) Rewritten passages at the beginning and near the end of the
_Cronica Tripertita_, the same as C (12).

(9) Second copy of the last poems (on f. 164), the same hand as C
(11).

E. At ECTON, near Northampton, in the possession of General Sotheby, who very kindly sent it to the Bodleian Library for my use. Contains _Vox Clamantis_, _Carmen super multiplici Viciorum Pestilencia_, _Tractatus de Lucis Scrutinio_, ‘O deus immense,’ ‘Cultor in ecclesia,’ ‘Vnanimes esse,’ ‘Dicunt scripture.’ Parchment, ff. 191, measuring about 9 x 6¼ in., in quires of eight with catch-words, the last quire of seven leaves only (two blank). Neatly written in a good hand of the end of the fourteenth century, in single column, 32 lines to a page. On f. 10 a brightly coloured picture of an archer drawing a bow to shoot at the world, with the lines ‘Ad mundum mitto,’ &c., as in the Cotton and Glasgow MSS., but the figure and features are different, and evidently the picture has less claim to be considered an authentic portrait than those of the two MSS. above named. The headings of pages and chapters are in red, and there are coloured initials and other decorations throughout. The whole is written in one hand, and there are no corrections or erasures such as might indicate that the book had been in the hands of the author.

The manuscript seems to have been in the possession of the Sotheby family since 1702, when it was ‘bought at Lord Burgley’s sale for £1 2_s._ 0_d._’ No leaves are lost, but two are transposed at the end of the fourth and beginning of the fifth books.

The text is very fairly correct, and the MS. is closely related
to C both in text and spelling (for which see i. Prol. 37 f., i.
21, 95, 447, 1706, 1776, 2017, ii. 174, 311 &c.), but not derived
from it (see i. 41, 1626, 2094, iii. 1760 f., v. 785 f.). The
passages which in C and the other original copies are rewritten
over erasure, as iii. 1 ff., vi. 1161 ff., are usually given by
E in the revised form, but the marginal notes at iii. 375 and
iv. 587 are omitted. Occasionally too, where C has a correction,
E gives the original reading in company with H, as iii. 840, v.
785 f., and especially in the passages vi. 1219 ff. and vii. 182
ff., where H no longer agrees with SCG in corrections, we find
that E goes with H. In the final poems E shows some independence
as regards marginal notes, e.g. in the last piece, where instead
of ‘Nota contra mortuorum executores,’ we find the much more
pointed, though doubtfully grammatical, remark, ‘Nota quod bonum
est vnicuique esse executor sui ipsius.’ This is the only MS.
except CHG which contains the short pieces at the end, and the
omission from these of ‘Presul, ouile regis’ may be an indication
that the MS. was written before 1402.

As regards the picture in this MS., the features of the archer
are quite different from those represented in the Cotton MS. He
has a prominent pointed nose and a light-coloured moustache and
beard; the arrow, held between the fore-finger and the second and
aimed upwards, covers the mouth. The dress consists of a grey
fur cap with a hood under it of light crimson, covering also the
upper part of the body: below this a blue surcoat with brown
lining and wide sleeves thrown back so as to leave the arms bare:
a red belt with buckle and pendant, and red hose. The globe is
at a higher level and smaller in proportion than in the other
pictures. Like them it is divided into three, the left hand upper
division having a crescent moon and four stars: a red cross with
a banner stands at the summit of the globe.